The Inheritance

As Moses began to convey his blessings to each of the tribes
of Israel on the last day of his life, he reminded them of the Giving of the
Torah 40 years prior:

The L‑rd came from Sinai and shone
forth from Seir to them; He appeared from Mount Paran and came with some of the
holy myriads; from His right hand was a fiery Law for them.1

Throughout history, the Jewish people refer to Moses as
Moshe Rabeynu, Moses our Teacher, because while Moses did many great things for
the Jewish people—from liberating them from Egypt to conquering the lands east
of the Jordan River—conveying the Torah was by far his greatest
achievement.

How, then, does Moses describe the Torah in his final words
to his beloved people? What words, images, or metaphors does he use to convey
its preciousness? How does he inspire them to do all in their power to transmit
it to future generations?

There is so much to say about the Torah. He could have said
“The Torah is infinite Divine wisdom made available to the finite human mind,”
or “The Torah is the greatest moral code,” or “The Torah will fill your life
with inspiration,” or “The Torah will give meaning to your existence.” Moses,
however, said something entirely different:

The Torah that Moses commanded us is
an inheritance for the congregation of Jacob.2

Moses understood that in order for the Torah to survive the
test of time, in order for it to be transmitted and studied throughout the
generations, more than telling the Jews about any particular quality of the
Torah or what it would add to his life or her life, it was vital to make sure
they understood that the Torah is their inheritance.

What is an inheritance, and how does it differ from other
forms of acquisition?

When purchasing something, the buyer “earns” that which is
being purchased. I.e., the buyer receives the item in consideration of money
being paid. When receiving a gift, there is a reason the gift is given to this
particular person. The Talmud explains that the giver gives a gift because the
recipient gives the giver some form of pleasure, joy, or satisfaction. In other
words, while the recipient of the gift did not pay for the gift monetarily, the
gift is “payment” for the intangible satisfaction the recipient gives to the
giver. The transfer of ownership from one party to another can only occur if
the recipient wants the transfer to take effect.

A person may have a child who is all of one day old. The
person may have never seen his child, and may not even know that the child
exists. The child has no capacity to understand that there is an estate and he
is its heir. And yet the transfer takes effect. The heir inherits the estate in
its entirety, not because of anything he did, and not because he wants it, but
because of the essential bond they share. The child inherits from the parent
not because the child is deserving, but because deep down, on the soul level,
they are one entity.

The Torah is the inheritance of every Jew. Even if the Jew
is not aware of the preciousness of the Torah, even if the Jew does not want
the Torah and even tries to escape it, he and the Torah are one.

The Torah may or may not be the bestselling book out there,
but it is our book; our story.

The Torah is our inheritance because at the core of our
identity we yearn to hear its words, its stories, and its teachings. The Torah
is our inheritance because of the essential bond between the Torah and the
Jewish soul. The Torah is our inheritance because no matter how much knowledge
we acquire, our soul will still yearn for something deeper. No matter how many
libraries of wisdom we acquire, our soul will still yearn for the Torah.
Because the Jew, the Torah, and the Holy One Blessed be He are all one.